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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · swing · charge · sharp · bark · nail · row · can

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. sharp — clever
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. charge — a price
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com